Change of Heart
by Britani Gael
Summary: Yami Bakura wakes up in a strange desert, with scattered memories, no Millenium Ring, and an unconscious Bakura. FINISHED.
1. Lost, not Found

Title: Change of Heart  
Author: Britani Gael  
Rating: PG-13  
Genre: General  
Series: Yu-Gi-Oh!  
  
Summary: Yami Bakura wakes up in a strange desert, with scattered memories, no Millenium Ring, and an unconscious Bakura.  
  
Author's Note: Yami Bakura be known as just Yami, because there's no other Yami's around to get him confused with.  
  
  
  
Yami Bakura slowly opened his eyes.  
  
He saw nothing but sand.  
  
He sat up, trying to ignore the aches and pains that lingered in every joint in his body. He looked around, and saw that he had been right. He was in the middle of the desert.  
  
How had he gotten here? He couldn't remember.  
  
What had he been doing before he had gotten here? He couldn't remember.  
  
He tried again. What was the last thing he did remember?  
  
Nothing. He got fragment of sensations and sounds, nothing more. It was like someone had taken his memories and shattered them into thousands of irreparable pieces.  
  
Shit. Not good.  
  
His head hurt.  
  
He heard a soft whimper behind him. Turning around, he saw Bakura curled up on the ground behind him, sound asleep.  
  
Sighing with annoyance, he grabbed Bakura's shoulder and shook him sharply, to wake him up. Bakura whimpered again, and curled up tighter.  
  
Yami growled. He did not have time for this.  
  
He shook Bakura again, harder. And again. But the boy refused to wake.  
  
Yami gave up. He surveyed the area they had been dropped into. It was a desert, yes, but like one like any one on Earth. The ground was completely flat in all directions, and was uniformly covered in sand. The sky was gray, bright enough to light the place, though it was not itself lit with any sun or stars.  
  
Eerie.  
  
If they weren't on Earth, they must be somewhere else.  
  
The Shadow Realm.  
  
Yami's eyes dropped down, and then shifted over to Bakura. Neither of them were wearing the Millenium Ring.  
  
Shit, shit shit. Getting better and better.  
  
He started to feel vulnerable out on the sand, like a target. He had no powers, no way to protect himself, and no place to retreat to.  
  
So this is what being mortal felt like. He had forgotten.  
  
He turned back to face Bakura. Bakura was still curled up, and it didn't seem like anything was going to wake him up. Yami wondered how he could possibly be that tired.  
  
Then a thought occurred to him. He frowned.  
  
He scooted closer to Bakura, and then put a hand on his shoulder. He pulled him up into a sitting position, and Bakura's head rolled onto his chest like a ragdoll's.  
  
Yami used his spare hand to hold his head up, and then looked right into his face.  
  
A few emotions flickered briefly across Bakura's face. Amusement. Fear. Anger. Happiness.  
  
Yami let Bakura drop back to the ground. He curled right back up into the fetal position.  
  
Bakura was out cold, but he appeared to be dreaming. The lights were all out, but at least someone was home.  
  
A spell, then. But to what purpose?  
  
He wouldn't figure it standing around out here. He stood up and looked around.  
  
Unfortunately, deserts tend to look the same in all directions. His only chance was to pick a direction to walk in, and hope it was the right one.  
  
And how much time would he have? Did he need to drink, to eat? He was just a spirit, after all. Could he die? He had no idea.  
  
Bakura could. And that would be inconvenient. For more reasons than one.  
  
He looked down on the boy. Bakura certainly couldn't follow along. Yami let out a breath through clenched teeth.  
  
He made his decision based upon two facts.  
  
One, the boy could very well be useful to him. Yami wasn't one to pass up a possibly opportunity when he saw it.  
  
And two, no one was around to see him.  
  
Muttering ancient obscenities under his breath, he bent over and picked up Bakura.  
  
He picked a direction, the one he thought to be the direction he had been facing when he had first woken up. And he started walking.  
  
* * * 


	2. A Little Bird

Title: Change of Heart  
Author: Britani Gael  
  
Okay, so this is my story, an attempt to make Yami Bakura into a kinda good guy. Most of the time I see him in fics as just maliciously beating up on everyone in sight. A kinda good guy, though, not a nice guy. He's still a bastard, he's just on the good guys' side, for once. The bird was kind of inspired by the crow in "The Chronicles of Amber," that tormented Corwin. If you've read it, you know who I mean.  
  
* * *  
  
Walking across a featureless desert for several hours, with no food or water, was no small feat in itself.  
  
Walking across the desert, hauling someone almost as big as you ... well, it was a pain in the ass, to say the least.  
  
Yami Bakura stopped again, for the third time in the last half hour. He had been experimenting with several ways of carrying the boy, the easiest one had been tossing him over his shoulder. Bakura didn't want to be still, though. He shifted around, and muttered in his sleep in a most irritating way.  
  
Yami had almost left him behind twice.  
  
The first time he had just considered it.  
  
The second time he had dropped Bakura on the sand, and started off without him. He walked forward about five minutes, and spent the next five minutes walking back.  
  
He was in an unknown situation, and that meant he needed to take advantage of every opportunity offered to him. Bakura might end up being a resource, and that meant that Yami might need him.  
  
Once he knew for sure that he couldn't use Bakura, then he could drop him.  
  
So he spent the time pondering his loss of memories.  
  
He had no way of knowing how much of his memories had been erased. It could have been two hours, it could have been two days. Two months, possibly two years. He doubted that, though. Bakura didn't look any older than Yami remembered him being.  
  
He wondered if Bakura's memories had been erased. That was a possible use for him, if he could ever wake him up. And if he decided to help.  
  
Yami snorted. This was the kid who had wanted to DIE to get away from him. He doubted that Bakura would want to be of much help.  
  
The sky was still the unchanging shade of gray, there didn't seem to be a distinction of day and night here, wherever they were. Maybe time wasn't passing at all. He didn't know.  
  
What he knew of the Shadow Realm was the dark place where the games were played, and this place was certainly nothing like that. But if they weren't in the Shadow Realm, where could they possibly be?  
  
Well, if someone had indeed brought them here, there had to be a reason for it. Unless someone with a lot of power and not all his marbles had a hobby of randomly trapping people in other dimensions. Good for laughs, huh?  
  
Yami Bakura thought he saw something in the distance. He froze.  
  
He narrowed his eyes. It seemed like something was sticking up from the ground. It was tall, thin, with branches ...  
  
A tree?  
  
Strange and stranger.  
  
He picked up his pace, walking briskly towards the tree. The sooner he figured out what the hell was going on, the sooner he could out of here.  
  
* * *  
  
Ouch. Pain.  
  
Colors, feelings. Blasts of emotions.  
  
Bakura didn't think he could take it all.  
  
He tried to draw back, tried to shake his head and clear his mind.  
  
That's when he discovered that he had no body. Crap.  
  
It wasn't as disturbing as it sounded, once you got used to the idea.  
  
But he didn't want to get used to the idea. He wanted out. Now.  
  
He squirmed in his mind, he looked in every direct that wasn't. There was no way out.  
  
He was forced to endure the colors. The sounds. And the pain.  
  
* * *  
  
Something was bothering Yami Bakura about that tree.  
  
It wasn't getting any closer.  
  
He had been walking for fifteen minutes, hoping to see the little scrap of a tree in greater detail, but no such luck. He had walked faster. No change at all. What the hell was this? Alice in Wonderland?  
  
He broke out into a run. He couldn't keep it up for long, he knew, but he had to at least try. That tree was the only thing in this place, besides the two of them. It had to mean something. Didn't it?  
  
He kicked up sand as he ran, and Bakura was sure getting heavy. The stick in the sand still showed no greater detail, it hadn't grown in size on the horizon. This was pointless. Maybe it was a mirage.  
  
Yami felt his legs start to give out. He slowed down to a jog, and tried to catch his breath. Maybe he was loosing it. Maybe --  
  
Bam!  
  
He ran face first into the tree, the rough bark scraped across his face. Yami dropped Bakura, who sprawled out on the sand at the base of the tree.  
  
What the hell? He'd only blinked! How could he have --  
  
"Ah, you get used to it, in time."  
  
Yami spun around, looking for the source of the voice. No one.   
  
He looked back at the tree. It looked like your standard oak tree, except that it was stark white, with little leaves that were colored a dull black. A network of roots were poking out of the sand, Bakura had curled up beside one.  
  
"Up here, nimrod."  
  
Yami looked up. There was a complex network of branches, all reaching up to the sky. He couldn't see the top from where, he was. He took a step back, and tripped on a tree root. He fell flat on his back.  
  
He winced from the pain that shot up his spine, but now he could see the top. The branches got thinner and thinner as they rose, until at last there was only a small stick of a branch at top. On it was perched a falcon. It cocked its head.  
  
Yami scowled.  
  
"Amazing what can creep up on you when you aren't paying attention," it said, and it chuckled as best it could, for a bird. It swooped down quickly, and landed on Yami's chest. Before he could move, it had pecked his nose.  
  
"Ouch!" One hand moved to his injured nose, the other to swipe at the bird. It was too quick for him, though, and it had flown off again, this time to land on the lowest branch of the tree.  
  
The bird laughed. A really horrid sound, a cross between screeching and screaming.  
  
"What do you want?" snapped Yami, sitting up and rubbing his nose.  
  
"Ah, I'm just a spectator," it said.   
  
"Ow ... stop."  
  
Both Yami's and the bird's gaze darted to Bakura. He started thrashing violently. "Please ... stop ... stop ..." he whispered, though it was clearly audible in the dead silence. Yami Bakura watched him for a moment, until he had stopped moving.  
  
The bird cocked his head. "Concerned?"  
  
Yami glared daggers. "No," he said flatly.  
  
The falcon hopped to another branch. "No," it said. "I suppose you aren't." It paused. "Should be, but you aren't."  
  
Yami paused. "Why?"  
  
"Because," it said. "Your friend is in a great deal of trouble. So are you, you're probably not all right in the head yourself. He's got it worse, though."  
  
Okay. Okay. A talking bird in a materializing tree seemed to know all the answers. Vague answers, but answers. Okay. Good. No, great. He could handle this.  
  
Maybe.  
  
"Why are we here?" he demanded.  
  
The bird hopped to another branch. "Well, I would assume she brought you here. Though I'd give quite a lot to know how she managed that."  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"No idea." It braced itself, like it was going to jump to yet another branch, when it froze.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Take the young one and leave here," the bird said suddenly. "Go. Now."  
  
"And here I thought you were just a spectator," he said.  
  
"This is for your good. Not mine. Leave!" It leapt of the branch and took to flight, screeching loudly all the way.  
  
That was strange. But as Yami was about to shrug it off, the shaking started.  
  
Little grains of sand jumped off the ground, the branches of the tree shook, and a few leaves drifted to the ground. A rumbling sound could be heard.  
  
Time to leave.  
  
Yami Bakura stood up and took a step towards Bakura, but the earthquake grew stronger, bringing him to his knees. There was a loud schlucking noise then, and the roots of the tree started pulling themselves out of the ground to stand up in the air. Then the tree started to sink into the ground like it was quicksand, taking its roots with it.  
  
Shit, shit shit.  
  
A root snarled itself around Yami's wrist, and he felt himself get yanked to the ground. The wood twisted painfully around his skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another, thicker root wrap itself around Bakura, and they were both being dragged to the center, where the tree was rapidly disappearing.  
  
Yami tried to use his feet to drag himself to a stop, and the fingers of his hands worked to try to remove the root from his wrist. It was too strong. In desperation, he dug his fingernails deep into the wood.  
  
The root jerked away, immediately, as if in pain. Yami Bakura backpedaled from the scene, trying to get as far away as possible from that crazy tree.  
  
Oh, yeah. Bakura.  
  
He looked back, and saw Bakura getting dragged away. He was thrashing again, though that was probably some nightmare induced fit, not caused by the knowledge that he was in any real danger.  
  
Yami Bakura darted between the flailing roots, and caught Bakura by the legs in a effort to stop his movement towards the gaping black hole that was now in the sand. But the tree root was too strong.  
  
He tried to pry it off, but he couldn't get his fingers around in. He found himself getting angry. Dangerously angry.  
  
He stood up and gave the root a sharp kick. It jerked, but didn't let Bakura go. He kicked it again, harder. The root released Bakura, and slithered away.  
  
Yami Bakura picked up the still thrashing Bakura up in his arms like a child, and took a few running steps from the roots, who were now trying to whip them instead of grabbing them. Yami got hit several times on the back, and once across the cheek. Bakura wasn't helping either, he was still having a fit, and hit Yami once in the eye and twice in the nose.  
  
When he knew they were out of range of the tree, he dropped Bakura unceremoniously to the ground, where he continued to whine and whimper and moan.  
  
Yami felt blood slide down his cheek, and his nose was dripping blood as well. He probably had a black eye, his wrist was badly cut, and the tips of his fingers were rubbed raw from trying to pry off the possessed roots.  
  
At his feet, Bakura calmed down, and fell back into his peaceful slumber. He was, of course, unharmed.  
  
The remaining roots slid the rest of the way into the ground, and the nearby sand shifted down to fill in the hole. In a few seconds, you couldn't tell there had been a tree at all.  
  
Yami looked around for the bird, but it seemed to have disappeared. If it was still screeching, it was to far away from him to hear it.  
  
Damn. The bird could have been useful, and there was no way of knowing what kind of information they might need, that the bird could have provided.  
  
And, anyway, if all else failed, they could have eaten it.  
  
* * *  
  
Wow. Already got another chapter out. This is the most fun I've had writing a story in a long time, Y. Bakura is a blast to write for. Next chapter should be up shortly. Pretty quick, actually, if I keep going at this rate. 


	3. Time for Sand

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Wow. I didn't expect people to actually LIKE this story. It was just going to be a side project for when I had writer's block on my others, but now it has become my favorite thing to work on. Here goes.

* * *

He really should have seen the next thing coming.

Sink hole.

Come on, whenever anyone decided to list "What else could possibly go wrong ...", a giant sink hole opening up was always on it, right?

Well, to give him credit, it wasn't exactly an ordinary sinkhole, if there was such a thing. Dry sand was swirling around his waist, mixed with little threads of the black stuff he had seen when the tree had sunk. It swirled around like it was going down a bathroom drain, taking everything with it.

And Bakura certainly wasn't making things any better. He had started thrashing around like a lunatic again, even and his Yami struggled to hold him above the sand. It was a struggle Yami was seriously considering giving up. If the kid was so eager to die, he wasn't going to stand in his way.

Bakura gave a final shudder, and fell limp in Yami's arms.

Yami Bakura raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but there was no time to ponder that. The sand continued shifting around them, drawing them in. 

It didn't really matter. If this didn't kill the both of them, something else down the line certainly would. Reality was seriously stacked against them in this section of the universe, it was only a matter of time.

"No! Stop..." Bakura jerked again.

Startled, Yami dropped him. Bakura sank under the sand.

Yami reached under, in a halfhearted attempt to try to find him, failing that, he made a desperate grab for solid land.

No such luck.

Well, it was worth a try.

As the sand started to flow over his head, Yami Bakura was consoled by the fact that the slow, painful death by suffocation would mean an end to this insane nightmare. His vision went black. Something beneath him gave out, and he started to fall.

No such luck.

* * *

Bakura found himself floating aimlessly.

The colors had long since ceased, slowly draining from his sight until all he was left with were vague geometric shapes in black and white. Even that was fading, going from crisp contrasts to fuzzy shades of gray.

He tried to touch things as they floated by, but, no body, no go.

He was so tired...

But now he was falling.

He couldn't see anything at all, and a pain in his head was growing. His energy was being sapped right out of him, going to who knows where.

He couldn't breathe.

He struggled for air, and he felt like his soul was being ripped out. He tried to call out, tried to beg for help, but he couldn't speak.

__

No such luck.

Just as he was about to black out, he hit the ground. The wind would have been knocked out of him, if he had had any in his lungs. Then he realized that he had a body again. It was of little concern to him right then, he was content to just gasp for air.

He was lying on a stone floor, it looked gray, but then he realized he was still seeing things without color, like an old black and white movie.

He tried to stand up. Maybe not the best of ideas. His knees buckled the minute he had got on his feet, and he fell on his knees, pain shooting up his legs. His hands were shaking.

He looked around. It was a plain room, no decorations, just four stone walls and an opening that looked like an exit. And there was a woman there.

He could tell it was a woman, but after that, there wasn't any telling anything about her. Whenever he tried to focus on a feature, like the color of her hair, she would shimmer and seem to ... change. He couldn't describe it.

Her smile stayed the same, though. Cold, malicious, the white of her teeth shining out against the dark gray he saw as her skin.

On her chest, glimmering, was the Millenium Ring.

* * *

Yami Bakura landed on another pile of sand. Gods, he was sick of sand. It was a pain in the ass, grainy as hell, and it got everywhere.

This sand was different, though. He reached out to sift it between his fingers. It was finer, and darker too, almost like dirt. Much different from the sand ... above?

He looked up. Instead of the gaping hole he was half expecting, there was a simple, wooden roof. What the hell?

He surveyed the area. Everything seemed fine to a certain point, but, after that, his vision was completely distorted. He couldn't make out any features at all beyond this invisible wall. It was then that he realized that Bakura was gone. He was alone.

Yami stood up, and took a few steps towards it. He tapped on it.

Glass. It was made of glass.

The wall was curved all around, and started to taper near the bottom. Hmmmm ...

Yami Bakura had a strange trait for someone trapped in a Millenium item for the past few thousand years. He hated puzzles. He hated games.

He just liked to win.

He wasn't sure if he could win this one. Not in the long run. But he could figure out where he was well enough. He was trapped inside a giant hourglass. It sounded strange to hear himself think it, but, he had to admit, the tree had been weirder.

He rubbed his temples. Damn, he was getting another headache.

The ground beneath him collapsed. The sand in the whole enclosure was sliding down towards the center, a mini version of the sinkhole that had trapped him before. And he was sliding down with it. He tried to grab hold of something, but all his hands could find was slippery glass.

He fell through, and landed in a heap on the cone of sand at the bottom. Sand continued trickling down, landing in his hair and on his face.

He sat up, spitting, trying to wipe the sand off. Now he had it in his mouth. He stood up once more. He was now in the bottom of the hourglass, and there didn't seem to be anywhere else to go, so he shouldn't have anymore unfortunate run-ins with gravity.

Yami started pacing. He wished Bakura was still there, or, failing him, at least someone. He was building up a lot of excess anger, and he was feeling the need to take it out on someone. Though even he might feel guilty beating up somebody who wasn't even conscious.

He decided to take it out on the next best thing. He kicked the glass wall.

__

Maybe not the best of ideas.

A crack ran right up the glass, spreading in tiny lines that looked like spider webs. Yami took a step back, holding an arm up in front of his face, waiting for the whole thing to come crashing down.

It didn't. He peered around his hand, and saw the glass, cracked and caving slightly, but still holding. He reached out his hand and poked it. It gave a little under his touch, but still held up. Then he got an idea. And he hated it.

He did need to get out of this, though.

Shit, this was going to hurt.

Yami took a deep breath, and covered his face with his arm again. He took a slow step forward, already cringing with anticipated pain.

He threw himself into the crumbling wall, and heard the sounds of it collapsing around him. Shards of glass flew at him, cutting his arms and back. He hit the ground hard, and covered his head as glass continued to rain on him.

When it stopped, he stood up. He looked up at what was left of the hourglass. And frowned.

It hadn't collapsed, not all the way. About half of the glass had shattered, the rest stood, and was slowly tilting, working its way to the ground. Really slowly, defying the laws of everything he knew about gravity. At that rate, it would take at least two minutes for the thing to hit the ground.

He needed to get out of here. Fast.

He stood up. His sweater was nearly shredded in several places, tiny cuts that covered his hands were trickling blood. His face felt wet, he must be bleeding there, too. The ground was completely covered in glass, good thing he had shoes.

The room was made of a sandy colored stone, all of it, floor, walls and ceiling. A door was chiseled into one wall. Yami hesitated to enter it, afraid it might shut behind him or something. Anything could happen here.

He looked back up at what was left of the hourglass, still working on its slow collapse. Yep. Absolutely anything.

* * *

You like? Hope so, I had to hop between three computers to get it done. Only two can connect to the internet, only a different set of two can properly read floppies, and only one can set up the file on Microsoft Word. grumbles You don't need to use computers to screw 'em up. They come that way.


	4. Keleos

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Well, it's about time."

  
  


Bakura tried to answer the woman, but was failing miserably. The pain in his head was almost unimaginable. He could barely hear, barely think, let alone for a coherent response. He held his head in his hands, trying to block out the worst migraine in recorded history.

  
  


"You are awake, aren't you?"

  
  


He managed a nod. God, it was cold. He found himself shivering.

  
  


"My, you are ill, aren't you? This could be a problem."

  
  


The shimmery woman who had stolen his Ring knelt down in front of him, like a concerned mother-figure. She gently titled his head up.

  
  


"Yes, a problem indeed."

  
  


One look into her face was enough. Her features flowed like water, her nose, her mouth, her eyes. She wasn't a person, she was a thing. It was terrifying.

  
  


He jerked out of her grasp, and fell back against the stone floor. Nothing had scared him that bad since ... well, since the last time his Yami had managed to get out of the Ring.

  
  


Where was his Yami now, anyway? Bakura looked at the Ring. Was he still in there? Was he going to possess her, now? Scary as she was, Bakura still felt sorry for her. No one deserved punishment like that.

  
  


Well, almost no one. He could think of a few.

  
  


The woman stood up. She scowled at him. "This isn't going to work at all. Either this is taking much more energy than I anticipated, or you are as weak as a puppy."

  
  


"I would have to say the latter."

  
  


Bakura and the woman both turned to look at the source of the cold voice, but Bakura didn't need to check. He knew who it was.

  
  


For once, he could be glad that the look on his Yami's face wasn't directed at him.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Yami Bakura had a feeling that he had just found the source of all of his problems. This might have made him happy, if he didn't also have a feeling that she would be causing him many more. And, even worse, a feeling that she had led him right to her.

  
  


She was wearing the Millennium Ring, and she certainly wasn't human. From what he could see of her shifting expression, hard eyes and cruel smile, she reminded him of someone he wouldn't be wanting to mess with under the best of circumstances. Him.

  
  


Bakura was flat on his back, awake. Shaking like a leaf, with a skin tone that matched his hair, but he was awake. The look of fear on his face was apparent. Yami wondered who was causing it, him or her. Likely both.

  
  


"Well," she said. "Yami and Hikari, both here at last. I have been waiting every so long, you know."

  
  


Yami took a step into the room. "I guess you're 'she'. The one who brought us here."

  
  


Her eyes narrowed. "Who said that?"

  
  


"A little bird told me."

  
  


"Iol," she spat. "Meddling little worm."

  
  


"What do you want?"

  
  


Her form started glittering brighter. "Don't you mean, what do you want?"

  
  


Yami raised an eyebrow.

  
  


"You wish for yourself and your Hikari to be taken back safely to your home."

  
  


"That's debatable." 

  
  


She ignored him. "And you wish for the return of this fascinating device." She lifted the Millennium Ring, and allowed it to drop back to her chest. "Well, I want something, too."

  
  


"I think I'd prefer to just walk out of here and find my own way out."

  
  


She sat down in a stone chair behind her. Yami blinked. There hadn't been a chair there before, had there? 

  
  


Whatever.

  
  


Bakura grabbed his head, seemingly in pain. What on Earth was wrong with him? Wimp.

  
  


She her face showed amusement, he didn't know if it was directed at Bakura's plight or his. "There is no other way out. Not out of here. And, anyway ..."

  
  


Yami heard a clinking sound. He turned around. The doorway he had entered though was being built up from the ground up. Stone block by stone block. He looked back. The Millennium Ring glimmered.

  
  


Bakura clutched his head harder, whimpering.

  
  


Yami was considering jumping through the hole before it was completely blocked up, and considered how long it would take her to blast it open again, probably injuring him in the process, and dragging him out again. Probably, say, five and a half seconds.

  
  


The pain hit him in the head, hard enough to cause his eyes to water. Not crying, mind you, but watering. He felt dizzy, and staggered back against the newly built wall. It didn't last more than a few seconds, then it left.

  
  


He looked at her, expecting her to be delighted. Instead, she looked confused. "Now, that is odd." 

  
  


Bakura's head rolled back onto the ground. He had passed out.

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


She looked up. "Why what?"

  
  


"Why is it odd?"

  
  


"I don't think it should have any effect on you. Must be a sort of echo."

  
  


"Echo of what?"

  
  


She waved it off. "You are trapped in a dimension with no name. It has no edge, but it has a center."

  
  


"You're starting to sound like the little bird."

  
  


She ignored him. "This place does not obey the laws of reality, as you probably have noticed by now."

  
  


"I thought you were causing that."

  
  


"I can control it a little, with this item of yours. Before I could not. I didn't even have a form, which is why my appearance now is so ..."

  
  


"Different?"

  
  


She rolled her eyes. "My name is Keleos. I was trapped here a long time ago. Now I want out. You are going to do this for me. Then you will be returned. Do you understand?"

  
  


Orders. Orders he might have to take. Infuriating. He didn't speak. There was nothing to say.

  
  


"I told you there was a center to this place. There's an object there, its called the Paradox. It's what keeps this world like it is, and it keeps me here. You will fetch it, and bring it back to me."

  
  


Yami Bakura ground his teeth.

  
  


Now she looked delighted. Apparently he wasn't the only one who was fond of winning. "There is a pyramid. Walk in any direction and you will find it. I can't enter it, because I have no body. If you make it that far, and retrieve the Paradox, well, then, we'll all be happy, won't we?"

  
  


Ah, yes, he would. He would do it, and get back his Ring, and then he would ... well, he didn't like being humiliated, that was for sure. "Fine," he said.

  
  


She clapped her hands. "Oh, I was sure you would do it. There might be something in it for you too, if you're nice about it."

  
  


He wondered what Keleos could possibly offer him. "What about him?" he asked, gesturing towards Bakura. "He'll stay here?"

  
  


"What? Oh no. No no no. That wouldn't do at all."

  
  


Yami decided not to ask why. The woman simply wouldn't tell him, and he would lose face once again. "I'm not carrying him another step."

  
  


She sighed. "Very well." The Millennium Ring shone again, and she grew paler, almost translucent. Bakura sat up immediately, rubbing his head. He looked around, confused.

  
  


"What -" Then his eyes settled on Yami, and he jumped.

  
  


"We're leaving," Yami said. "Now."

  
  


Bakura shakily got to his feet. "I'm -"

  
  


"- Leaving. Now."

  
  


Yami turned around, and, as he expected, a door had reappeared there. He looked back at Bakura, who seemed hesitant at the idea of going in first. He heard Keleos laughing in the background.

  
  


He grabbed Bakura by the front of his sweater, and threw him into the tunnel, and then stepped in after him. The wall started going up again.

  
  


"Tell me," Keleos said. "Could you do me a favor?"

  
  


"That depends on what it is."

  
  


"If you seen Iol again, would you kill him for me?"

  
  


Yami laughed. "The bird did me a favor. That wouldn't be the best way to repay it, now, would it?"

  
  


The last brick went up. They were sealed inside. There wasn't any light source, but they could still see. Yami didn't even blink at the contradiction. He was getting used to the lack of rules.

  
  


Bakura was staring, wide eyed. Yami threw him a glare. Bakura averted his gaze to the floor. Amazing what a little fear could do to someone.

  
  


There was only one way to walk. Yami took the lead, Bakura trailing silently after him.

  
  


Yami didn't feel like doing Keleos any favors. He would get the stupid thing, the Paradox, but after that, the helpfulness ended. But if that bird being alive would make Keleos unhappy, then that bird would keep breathing for as long as Yami could manage it.

  
  


* * *

  
  



	5. Iol

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

This is a longer than the rest, I think. Lot's of dialogue.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Bakura didn't like silence

  
  


Sure, he didn't talk all that much, but with friends like his he didn't need to. Joey in particular came to mind. But Joey wasn't here. He was. And his Yami didn't look like he much felt like talking.

  
  


Bakura didn't know where they were. He didn't know why they were there. He didn't know where they were going, and he didn't know why they were going there. He wanted to know, but he didn't want to ask.

  
  


Ask and ye shall receive. Yeah, ask and receive a pounding.

  
  


The tunnel was about half an hours walk long, before they stepped out into the desert. A strange desert it was too, flat and gray. His Yami's face darkened even more on seeing it; Bakura decided not to ask.

  
  


When he had turned around, the entrance to the tunnel was gone. He didn't ask about that either, and his Yami didn't seem to think it was particularly strange.

  
  


His headache had decreased considerably, now it was only an light pounding in the back of his head. He could forget about if for a few minutes at a time, at least, and that was a definite improvement.

  
  


They walked another hour, maybe, time was hard to keep track of when you didn't have anything to mark it with. And they walked in complete and total silence. Bakura wasn't sure if he could stand it much long.

  
  


Okay, he was going to ask. He cleared his throat nervously. "Uh ... Where are -"

  
  


"I don't know," his Yami cut him off, irritably. 

  
  


"Ah, okay then. Uh, where are we go -"

  
  


"I don't know."

  
  


Bakura chewed on his lower lip. "Then why are we -"

  
  


"I don't know."

  
  


Bakura looked at him. Looked like he wasn't the only one in the dark. "You don't know anything, do you?" He cringed after the words came out of his mouth, he knew that wouldn't sound at all how he meant it.

  
  


His Yami gave him a warning look, but said nothing. Either he was in a good mood - unlikely - of he had more important things to worry about than keeping Bakura in line.

  
  


Bakura looked up at the sky. The solid, unchanging gray made it look fake, like you could reach up and touch it. Maybe you could, he didn't know. He was feeling braver now. "Are we going to stop to sleep?" he asked.

  
  


"I've think you've gotten enough sleep to last you a week."

  
  


"Oh." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Do you know how we got here?"

  
  


"I woke up. We were in the desert. That's the extent of my knowledge."

  
  


"Then how did we get to the lady?"

  
  


"She sucked us into a portal."

  
  


"Right after we got here?"

  
  


"No." Yami's voice had been getting lower and lower throughout the conversation. This time it was dangerously low, indicating that the conversation was ending, now.

  
  


Not quite.

  
  


"You just sat waiting for her to come get you?"

  
  


"No."

  
  


"Then you just wandered aimlessly around the desert?"

  
  


Long pause. "Yes."

  
  


"But then how did I -"

  
  


"Shut up."

  
  


"But I didn't -" 

  
  


Yami cut him off with a glare. "Your voice is annoying me. Your accent is annoying me. Stop talking."

  
  


Bakura complied, not wanting to push his Yami any farther than was necessary. He was hoping that his Yami knew the direction that they were supposed to be going in, because there weren't any landmarks in sight. He kept walking, and Bakura kept following.

  
  


Then he had a thought he couldn't ignore. "Uh ..." he said.

  
  


His Yami spun around to face him. "What?" he snapped.

  
  


Bakura took a step back. "Do we have any food?"

  
  


Long pause. "Are you hungry?"

  
  


"Not really."

  
  


"Are you thirsty?"

  
  


"I don't think -"

  
  


"You don't think you're thirsty?"

  
  


"Fine, no."

  
  


"Then let's assume that we don't need to eat or drink here."

  
  


"So, we can't die here?"

  
  


Yami rolled his eyes. And then he punched Bakura in the arm. Hard.

  
  


"Ow!" Bakura grabbed his arm. "Why did you - I didn't -"

  
  


"Hurt?"

  
  


"Yes!"

  
  


"If we can feel pain, let's assume we can die." He turned around and started walking again.

  
  


Bakura rubbed his arm a few times, and then fell into step behind him. His Yami had already discovered the pain thing, it seemed. He looked like someone had beat the living crap out of him. Bakura vaguely wondered who.

  
  


He heard a scream on the air. He froze. A bird was in the air above them, screeching its little heart out. Then it swooped down, and landed on Yami Bakura's shoulder.

  
  


"Hello again," it said.

  
  


Like before, his Yami didn't look worried. So Bakura tried not to be.

  
  


He tried not to be very worried, at least.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Yami Bakura glared at the bird that was digging its claws into his shoulder. Iol, the woman had said he was. The bird she obviously had a very big problem with.

  
  


"Mmm," he said in response to it.

  
  


"What happened to your face?" Iol asked.

  
  


Yami ignored him. He started walking quickly, hoping that it would catch the bird off guard. Instead, Iol just dug his claws in deep enough to draw blood.

  
  


"Well, at least the kid's up. Now you won't have to haul him every where."

  
  


Yami stopped in his tracks.

  
  


"Did I say something?" asked the bird, innocently.

  
  


The look on Bakura's face was a mixture of horror and shock. And quickly progressing towards amusement. Okay, the bird had done him a favor, but favors only went so far. He made a grab for the bird, preferably the throat, but it jumped out of the way, onto his other shoulder. He tried again, it hopped back.

  
  


Anger had taken an almost tangibility during this trip. He could feel it sitting in his chest. He was going to have to lash out at someone pretty soon, otherwise he was going to lose it. He would prefer to lash out at the bird, because he was probably going to need Bakura's help down the line.

  
  


He started walking.

  
  


"Ah, headed towards the pyramid, are you? It's not going to like you, you know. Liable to think you're schizophrenic."

  
  


"The pyramid isn't going to like us?" Bakura asked, the first thing he had said for the entire conversation. Probably had taken him awhile to get used to a talking bird. Or maybe to get used to the fact that his Yami had actually carried him halfway across the Goddamn desert.

  
  


Yami made another grab at Iol, hoping to catch him off guard, but the bird was ready. He made another jump, and landed on Bakura's shoulder.

  
  


"Nope, it won't. I think it'll let you in, though. But it will not give up the Paradox. Not easily."

  
  


"What's the Paradox?" Bakura asked.

  
  


Iol cocked his head. "She didn't say."

  
  


"I don't know, I was -"

  
  


"Passed out. Understandable."

  
  


"Why?" Yami asked.

  
  


"Why what?"

  
  


"Why is it understandable?"

  
  


"Because of the trinket the two of you share."

  
  


"But," Bakura said. "It's never done anything like that before."

  
  


"But," Iol said, smugly. "You've never been near the Paradox, have you? It changes the rules. It warps reality. Your trinket is a tool here, but it has no power source. She has to get the power from something linked to it. And since that fellow there isn't actually alive ..."

  
  


"It gets it from Bakura," Yami said.

  
  


"Yes. That's my guess, anyway. The trinket is rejecting this dimension, it is trying to take itself back, and a good part of that energy is going towards keeping it here, otherwise it would just whisk itself, and her, back to your world."

  
  


"Why doesn't she just do that, then?" Yami asked. "I thought she wanted to get out."

  
  


Iol shook his head, wobbling on its perch. Bakura winced, and Yami felt a bit of satisfaction. He knew how sharp those claws were. "She can't go back with the Paradox in operation. It would destroy her."

  
  


The bird hopped to Bakura's other shoulder. "Some of the other energy goes to causing the rather strange phenomenon that's been occurring around here. The rest of the energy she's taking is for vanity reasons. She hasn't had a body for herself in quite a while, and she's managed to create one of her own."

  
  


"Then," Bakura said, "Why doesn't she just build herself a better one."

  
  


"Well, the energy required to completely create a body is about equal to the energy required to completely sustain one. You do the math."

  
  


Bakura quite visibly cringed.

  
  


"In other words, she could end your life at any time. She won't for a while, but, after that, you should watch your back."

  
  


"For what?" Bakura asked, sounding close to panic.

  
  


"Just an expression. If she wants you dead, nothing you can do about it. Sorry, that's the breaks of the living."

  
  


Bakura paled.

  
  


"What effect does it have on me?" Yami asked..

  
  


"None that I'm aware of. Though, I haven't entirely figured out what she's up to, yet."

  
  


"She said it was an echo."

  
  


"Then I guess it's an echo of the pain he feels." Iol pecked sharply on Bakura's skull to indicate him.

  
  


"Ouch!"

  
  


"That was just an echo?" Yami asked. Damn, that must've been one hell of a headache.

  
  


Iol cocked his head.

  
  


"Anything else?" Yami asked, seething. "And I thought you were just a spectator."

  
  


"I was. No I have a job to do, thanks to the two of you." He stretched out his wings. "I do hope you have fun. The pyramid is the sight to see around here."

  
  


"I bet," muttered Yami.

  
  


He pecked Bakura on the skull again.

  
  


"Ow. What?"

  
  


"Oh, I just thought you should know you should be thanking your friend."

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


Yami narrowed his eyes at Iol, but he either didn't notice, or chose not to. 

  
  


"Oh, just for the fact that he risked his life trying to save yours." Iol looked at Yami, and he could have sworn that the bird was grinning. "Twice, I might add."

  
  


Yami made a last lunge at the bird, but it saw him coming. It swooped up, laughing his awful hacking laugh.

  
  


If there had been any rocks around, he would have thrown one at him. But it would have missed, or stopped in midair. Maybe it would have come hurling back at him.

  
  


He was getting used to the way things worked around here.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. If Rocks Could Talk

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

I dunno why, but I'm picturing the voice of the pyramid to sound like the robot from Lost in Space.  Weird, huh?  This parts pretty short, I'll make up for it with the next one.

* * *

They pyramid was similar to the ones Yami remembered in Egypt.  Except this one was gray, and it had been polished mirror smooth.  It wasn't built out of a series of separate blocks, it was just solid rock.

And it hated them.

A groove ran down the side of it, and since there hadn't been any markings anywhere else, they had assumed this was the entrance.  Actually, Yami had assumed, Bakura wasn't saying anything.  It didn't take telepathy to figure out what kind of mood Yami was in.

Bakura nearly jumped out of his skin when it started talking.  Perfect Kodak moment, there.

"What is it you seek, traveler?" it asked.

Well, they had found the pyramid, and Yami was hoping that this would be it.  He wasn't thinking it, but he was hoping it.  "We want the Paradox."

"Who is 'we'?  I sense but one traveler standing before me."

Bakura decided, for some reason, that his input was needed.  "No, no, there's two of us.  Me and –"

"There is one."

"Two," said Yami.

"One."

"There's two –" Bakura started.

"I am the Reader of Souls, and I sense one standing before me."

Reader of Souls.  Oh, that's what the problem was.

"But –"

"Fine," Yami snapped.  "There's one."

Bakura nodded.  "Okay.  One.  Can we–" Death glare.  "—I go in now?"

"No."

Bakura sighed.  "Fine.  We'll just … go then."  He turned, as if to leave.

Yami grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him back.  "Go where?"

"Well, we can't very well do much about if the bloody thing doesn't want to let us in, now, can we?"

"We don't have anywhere else to go.  We don't have anything else to do."

"You're right.  Why don't we just sit here and die?"

"You do that.  I don't care."

The pyramid grumbled.  Then, "You are a soul conflicted."

Bakura rolled his eyes.

"No shit," said Yami.  He considered the pyramid.  It couldn't see them, it couldn't hear them.  Was it reading their minds?  No, it was reading their souls.  Soul, actually, since they evidently shared one.  What was it finding there?

"I am like Keleos," it answered.  "I am her slave, and she is mine.  Iol is the Watcher, and he tells me to watch you."

It remained silent for a moment.  "There are two!" it said, sounding alarmed.

"Two what?" Yami asked.

"Two of you."

"Well, we did tell you," Bakura offered.

"There are two, yet one," it said.  "I have not seen this before."

"What have you seen?" Yami asked dryly.  

"Nothing."

"But then how can you possibly –"

It interrupted Bakura.  "You are afraid," it said.  "You fear the other."

"Who?" Bakura asked.

"You."

"Which one?" asked Yami.

"One.  Both.  Each of you fears the other."

Yami and Bakura glanced at each other.  "Me afraid of him?" Yami demanded.

"No."

He sighed.

"The word I prefer to use would be 'terrified'."

Bakura laughed, very very nervously.  Yami clenched his fists, breathing through clenched teeth.  "Are you going to let us in or will we just leave?"

"Your path takes you within.  I will not hinder you.  But be warned."

"What?"

"The Paradox is powerful indeed.  It forms the world as you see it here.  But I hold much of what the stone can do.  The world around you is not all that it can alter.  Be warned."

"That's it?"

"That is it."

The groove down the side of the pyramid started to split, silently.  "I have read your soul.  Now the Paradox shall do the same.  I hope it comes to a different conclusion than I have."

"What conclusion is that?" Bakura asked.

"But, if that is how Fate has written it, so shall it be."  The pyramid stopped moving.  Now an opening about ten feet wide was there, leading into pitch blackness.  Yami started walking.  He could hear Bakura following him, slowly.

"What did it mean?" he asked, whispering.

"The about the Paradox?"

"Yeah, that."

"It meant that we haven't seen anything yet."

* * *


	7. Only Pain

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Bakura winced as the doors slammed shut behind him, leaving them in the dark. No, he wasn't afraid of the dark, he was afraid of what was in the dark. 

He stood still, unsure of what to do. How were they supposed to find this thing, this Paradox, when they couldn't see a thing? He wasn't moving a foot while he was blind. 

Bakura heard footsteps, and he hoped to God that was his Yami walking around, and not someone else. Bakura's thoughts were answered by a soft 'thunk', and a string of cursing.

"What ‑" he began.

"Shut up," his Yami snapped, and Bakura could hear a snarl on his voice. More footsteps, and then a clatter and another thunk, which sounded an awful lot like a body hitting the ground. Could his Yami just stand still?

"Maybe you shouldn't ‑"

"I said shut up."

His Yami started walking around again. The footsteps drew nearer, and Bakura felt the air in front of him shift, his Yami must've just walked past him. Yami tripped again.

"Can't you just ‑"

"Don't think I can't find you in the dark."

Bakura had decided a little while ago that the threats his Yami had been making were empty ones, and least while they were here. Actually, most of the threats his Yami made were empty ones. Most of them, you could never tell for sure. He usually followed through when Bakura was sure he wouldn't; bloody noses were always more painful when one wasn't expecting them.

The room flashed white.

Bakura stumbled back, holding his arm over his face to shield his eyes from the blinding light. When it ended, he opened his eyes.

The room he was standing in was square and flat, no doors anywhere. The walls seemed to be made of stone, and they were gray, unless ... Bakura glanced down at him hand. Yeah, unless his skin had turned a pasty shade of gray, he was still seeing black and white. Great, just great.

Bakura looked around the room again. He didn't fail to notice that there was absolutely nothing in the room one could trip on. He felt tempted to snicker, but he valued his life. He wasn't positive on his follow‑through theory.

Yami seemed to have noticed too, by the look on his face. He was glaring at nothing in particular, until his gaze settled on Bakura.

"Well you can't very well blame me," Bakura said.

Yami's expression clearly said, 'Watch me.' He turned around, though, probably to look for a way out. But he ran head on into the wall.

Bakura frowned. His Yami had been standing five feet away from the wall, at least. How could he have possibly walked into it?

Come to think of it, the whole room seemed smaller. He hadn't seen it shift, but the walls seemed closer, the ceiling seemed to be closing in from above ...

"What the fu‑" his Yami said, before being knocked to the ground by the wall that had moved, and yet it hadn't. The room was now three quarters of the size it used to be.

Bakura gulped.

* * *

Yami got to his feet, and took a few steps back, to the center of the room. That seemed to be the safest place. 

"Now you've done it."

"What?" he snapped.

Bakura backed away from him, his hands raised in appeasment. "I didn't do anthing!"

_Paranoid, are we?_

Great, now he was hearing voices. _Iol?_

_One and only._

_What do you want?_ He wondered how well tones of voice came out in thought.

_I've decided that my best course of action is to help you._

_Then why aren't you hear?_

_I'm, uh, there in spirit?_

Yami dug his fingers into his palms hard enough to draw blood. The room jumped again, now it was half the size it used to be.

_Uh, oh, better stop that_, Iol said.

_Stop what?_

_I don't know, but I'm pretty sure you're doing it._

_The walls?_

_Yup._

Yami backed away from the swiftly approaching walls, until he ran into something. A quick look over his shoulder showed this to be Bakura, who had been backing away from the other wall.

_What's happening?_ He thought, at the same time Bakura said, "What's happening?" in a high pitched voice.

_Doubt?__ Anger? Repressed suicidal impulses?_

"That helps," Yami said, out load.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Why do you think you're talking is doing anything?"

"You're the one talking."

The room shifted to about ten by ten by ten and, man, was Yami starting to feel clausterphobic.

_Woah, anger management, buddy._

_Get the fuck out of my head!_

_Why? You do this to the kid on a daily basis? Can't take your own medicine?_

_How do you ‑ I have my reasons._

_I'm trying to save your life!_

The walls had stopped jumping, and instead had started a steady march towards them.

_Would it help if I told you this is all in your head?_ Iol asked.

_What is the purpose of this?_

_Probably to destroy someone who is always five minutes away from a temper tantrum. Ah, the simplicity._

_What?_

_Take out two people with only one severe personality flaw._

Yami could almost reach and touch the wall now, and the ceiling was looming. Apparently Yami and Bakura had the same thought at the same time, as they both ducked down to avoid the collapsing ceiling.

_Calm down! Think happy thoughts!_

Think happy thoughts?

_God, does anything actually make you happy?_ Iol asked.

Yami hear Bakura suck in a breath. "Can't you do something?" he shouted.

"Suggestions are welcome!"

_You can do something! Just control your anger!_

The walls pressed up against his feet, and he could feel the ceiling touch his head. The room was still lit, somehow, but then the lights went out.

Iol mentally sighed. _You lost. Great. Now it gets harder. And this was such an easy way out._

_Harder?_

_You're more messed up in than the kid, you know that?_

Yami started to lose himself. _How do you ... how do you know ..._

_That the kid is screwed up? Cause when I tried to talk to him, he put up the Great Wall around his brain. You got anything to do with that?_

_I ..._

_Thought so._

Before he could come up with an answer, the blackness entered his mind. Just as well, because he wouldn't have been able to think of a thing to say to that.

* * *


	8. Pictures on the Walls

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Sorry for the wait. Vacation and all of that good stuff. I've been planning this chapter for a while, hope it turns out okay.

* * *

When Bakura woke up, all he saw was white.

It took him a second or two to realize that this was because his hair was in his face. He found himself scowling, a thing he didn't do much, and he brushed the strands away.

Where the hell was he now?

He was sitting propped up against a wall of stone. The room was circular, the ceiling was domed. The walls were covered with writing of some sort, and so was the floor, and so was the roof. No, they were covered with writing of all sorts.

Japanese, Chinese, English, Russian. He saw snippets of what he thought was Latin, and a few sections were drawn with Greek characters. He saw every language he could think of, and quite a few he couldn't place. There was even a section drawn in what looked like cave drawings.

Wow.

His Yami was standing with his back to him across the room. He was staring at a column of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Bakura got to his feet. It was tougher work than it ought to have been, but he managed to stand well enough. He walked up to where his Yami was standing.

He peered intently around him, to the writing on the wall. They hieroglyphics were carved, and it looked like they had been painted. 

"What does it say?" he asked.

His Yami sighed. "What do you want?"

"What does it say?"

His Yami turned his gaze on Bakura, studying him for a second, trying to figure out his motives, no doubt. That was one of many differences between them, Yami always had an ulterior motive behind everything he did.

"I don't know," he said, finally.

"You don't know."

Yami turned back to the writing. "I wasn't a scribe," he said. He showed no intentions of elaborating.

"Oh," said Bakura.

He continued staring at the Egyptian, wondering what his Yami saw in it, if he didn't understand it anymore than he did. Impulsively, he pointed at a symbol.

"That's a bird, then?"

His Yami looked at his again, looking annoyed, and confused as well. "It's a hawk."

Bakura nodded. He pointed to the next picture, a wavy line. "And what's that?"

"That's water."

"And that?"

Yami snorted. "You don't read it like that, you read it this way." Yami picked up his hand and moved it to the other side of the column. "Left to right, not right to left."

"I thought you weren't a scribe."

"I've seen it written often enough. You read it from the way the symbols are looking."

"Oh." Bakura looked again. The hawk was indeed looking towards the left.

"What does the Japanese say?" Yami asked.

Bakura opened his mouth to say something about Yami not being able to read that either, but decided against it. He took a few steps towards the writing, and frowned.

"You can read it, can't you?"

"Of course I can, I just don't … understand it, is all."

"Then read it." Yami's voice sounded testy.

"It says: 'What you feel is what you think. What you think is what you do. What you do is what you are.'"

Yami muttered to himself, low enough that Bakura couldn't understand. He looked pretty pissed.

A wave of dizziness hit Bakura. He squeezed his eyes shut, and grabbed the wall for support.

"You might as well sleep now," his Yami's voice said, sounding quite distant. "We're gonna be here for a while."

Bakura nodded, sliding to the ground. Sleep never felt so good.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Yami shook Bakura's shoulder, in another attempt to wake him. Apparently, Bakura didn't feel like waking up.

The problem was that the wall was glowing.

Only a section of the wall, actually. About a ten foot stretch of wall. It was pulsating with different colors, and the letters glowed gold. The entire room was brightened, and seemed to be vibrating. Something was wrong.

Confirming this was Bakura. He was shaking and sweating, like he had just come down with something in the last half hour. Something bad. 

"Wake up, damnit!" Yami managed to restrain from hitting the boy, but barely. He shook him harder.

Bakura groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Whassit now?" he slurred.

"Look for yourself," Yami said. 

Bakura opened his eyes, then cringed and closed them again, covering his eyes with his hands. He sat up slowly, leaning heavily against the wall. He opened his eyes again. "What is it?"

"The wall?"

Bakura peered over towards the wall. "Uh, it's moving?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Moving … glowing? Bright, ouch."

Yami started at him. "You can't see the colors, can you?"

Bakura tensed. "I can! They're, um …"

"Hmmm?"

"Moving? Glowing?"

Yami stood, shaking his head. Whatever. It didn't really matter. He could feel the shaking in his feet, and the wall was growing brighter now. It almost seemed like it was dissolving. It could be a Paradox trick, but it didn't feel like the previous room had. He couldn't put his finger on it.

This magic felt like the crazy tree. Not in the natural order of things. Something Keleos would do. 

"What is that?" Bakura asked. "The whatchit?"

"The Paradox? No. That's the bitch."

Bakura stood up, took a step and tripped, landing flat on his face. He managed to push himself back up on his knees. Barely. "How?"

"The Millenium Ring. And you."

"Oh."

Yami approached the glowing section. He stopped within a few feet of it. He had thought, for some reason, that it would have been warmer near the wall. Instead he found that it was quite cool. Impulsively, he reached out and touched it.

"Shit!" He jerked his hand back at the jolt of pain, and felt his arm up to the elbow go numb.

"Well, that was bloody brilliant," Bakura muttered behind him.

Yami willed himself not to turn around. The kid was on the ground. Hardly sporting. "Why don't you do something?"

"Me?" Bakura asked. "What could I do?"

"Try to stop her? Power of the mind? Can't you use the Ring at all?"

"Can't you?"

"This isn't about me. It's about you and her." As he watched, the glowing section ballooned out, taking another large chunk out of the wall. Talk about déjà vu. It this was the same as before, maybe he could …

__

Iol?

In response, Yami got the mental equivalent of between-stations static. He put his good hand went to his ear to block out the noise, forgetting that it was coming from inside his head. This wasn't going to work.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." He turned away from the wall, though he was half afraid that it would attack him from behind. It was painful on the eyes.

"I think I can feel her," Bakura said, and he tapped his temple with a finger. "In my head."

"Well, then, why don't you try to block her out?"

Bakura flinched at the heavy sarcasm, but he nodded. He closed his eyes, and appeared to be concentrating. After a few minutes, his shoulders dropped and he shook his head. "I can't."

"What?"

"I tried, but she's just –"

"God, are you good for anything?"

"I'm sorry! She won't –"

"I should have left you in the desert."

Bakura stood up. His face was flushed red, he almost looked angry. "Well, why didn't you, then?"

"Oh, that would be great to explain to your friends. 'Sorry, I lost Bakura'."

"I don't see how you've done much better. You've managed to lose the both of us."

"Fine. You're in change. What shall we do now?"

"Do? I don't know!"

"Then shut your mouth!"

Bakura took a step toward Yami, in an annoyingly defiant manner. "Or what? What could possibly happen to me that's worse than what's happening to me right now?"

Yami sighed. And then he punched him in the face.

Bakura stumbled. His eyes rolled back, he looked like he was about to pass out, but he managed to catch himself on the wall. Blood fell from his nose, dripping onto his sweater.

Yami still had his hand up. He dropped his arm, before he looked like complete moron.

The room was in complete silence.

"I'm sorry," Bakura whispered.

Yami stared at him for a solid thirty seconds. "Why?"

"I shouldn't have – I didn't mean –" God, the kid was so insecure that he interrupted himself. 

"Shut up."

Bakura lowered his head and said nothing more.

The glowing started to expand again, and this time it didn't show any signs of stopping. It started to wrap itself around the room, and to spread out along the ceiling and the floor. Yami reached towards Bakura. Bakura didn't respond at all.

"Get away from the wall," Yami said. He grabbed Bakura by the collar of his sweated, and hauled him onto his feet. The kid was dead weight, Yami couldn't tell if he was awake or not.

The glowing leaked under their feet, but this time it didn't sting. The entire place was gone, they were surrounded by six walls of glitter. And the glitter started to fall away, leaving nothing but the dark.

Yami didn't black out this time, the room around him did. He was still holding Bakura, but as the last of the light disappeared, Bakura seemed to vanish as well. Yami looked around. He couldn't see anything. "What the fuck?"

No one answered him. There was nothing to say.

* * *


	9. Watching You

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Reuploaded this chapter when I realized that the computer killed the italics.  I figured that would make the chapter hard to follow.  Hope this is better.

* * *

Bakura had gone to a planetarium once, when he was a kid. He could just lay back and stare up into the pretend night sky, with the dark and the stars all around. This place reminded him of that. Without the stars.

He wasn't standing, he wasn't sitting, he wasn't floating either. He just, was. It reminded him of the dreams he had had, the ones he could only half remember. Without the pain. But there wasn't anything here at all. Just him.

_There is much here. Your mind is too simple._

Bakura looked around, but of course he saw nothing. "Who are you?"

_This isn't how I wanted it to go at all. But out time is cut short by ... what did he call her ... the bitch?_

"Who call her? Yami? Where is he?"

Not here, lucky for you. He is having a trying time right now.

"Why is that?"

_He is currently in the middle of a contest of wills between Keleos and Iol, over who will have access to his mind._ It's not going well for either of them, and worse for him.

The voice in his mind seemed, amused, maybe. Maybe a little sad. Bakura couldn't tell for sure. It was hard to judge these telepathic ... things. What was the purpose of this?

_We judge. All of us. Iol, myself, even the pyramid. Keleos is a judge, though she judges for her own purposes._

"Then what do you judge for?"

_Fate.__ Time. Myself._

"Then how are you better than her?"

It is not a matter of better.

Bakura figured that, by now, he probably should have gotten used to riddles, puzzles, facts that made no sense. But he didn't like it very much. He wanted to go home, he wanted out of this, he wanted to see in color.

_Reality is becoming dulled. It slips from you, can't you tell? You have been condemned._

Bakura started. "By who?"

_You have been judged thrice, failed twice. Iol has hope ... But my judgement carries more weight than any of them. Keleos wishes for you to die. It is her plan. It has been for a millennia._

"Planned that long? For me to die?"

_Maybe you.__ Perhaps another. She needed two, I think. Powerful, yes, but she is a coward._ _She can harm, but only from a distance. Or through another._

Bakura thought about that. Harm who? Him, obviously. From a distance was easy, she was using the Ring, and had been for quite a while. But through another? He did not like the sound of that, at all.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I thought it was obvious. I am what you seek. The Paradox.

"You're alive?"

_I am not. But I shall die, I think. Through your hands, or through your other's. It does not matter to me. It must be done. I believe Keleos to be wrong._

Pain flashed behind Bakura's eyes. He flinched, and put a hand to his forehead. It wasn't like the pain he had been feeling before, this was sharper. It was gone in a second.

"What was that?" he demanded.

_The barrier is failing._

"Barrier?"

_It is what keeps separate, you and him. If it were to fail, you would both lose your identities, and likely be destroyed in the process._

Bakura swallowed. "And what are the chances of that happening?"

_Unlikely.__ But there will be ... leaks. Slips from one consciousness to another. It's happened several times already. Haven't you noticed?_

"No, I ‑ Wait, how could you possibly ‑"

_Your people pride them so much on their individuality, yet you cannot even tell when a thought is your own and when it is someone elses? You seem to be losing yourself as well._

"Don't remind me."

_Or the two of you think more alike than one would imagine._

"I doubt that."

_If that is what you wish ..._

Bakura chewed on his lower lip. "How does she plan on, ah, killing me, exactly?"

_There are a few ways. She may simply tax you to death, which she has been in danger of doing before. She resisted using your Ring for a while, to make sure you got here, but she has begun using it again. But that would give her the greatest benefits._

"What would?"

_Killing you outright would give your Ring a great boost of power. But, as I have said, she is a coward. I don't think she'd like to do it herself. Even at the peak of her power, she always preferred to trick people into doing such work for her._

"Such work?"

_She'd have someone kill another for her, in return they would get power, money ... freedom. Or, she could even convince someone to end their own life. It did not matter to her. For many of her spells, all that was required was a death. A violent one._

Bakura gulped. He had a feeling he knew exactly what, and who, Keleos had in mind.

The space around him began to swirl. He closed his eyes, to ward of the dizziness. When he opened them again, he was in a room with plain black walls, but it wasn't like before. He wasn't floating in infinity, he was standing. The entire room had a reddish cast to it.

In the center was a pedestal shaped like a cone, made of the same smooth black stone the walls were made out of. A tiny red stone was balanced on top of it, it looked like a ruby. That was the Paradox. He was sure of it.

He took a hesitant step towards it.

_I am fairly certain you shall, how do you put it, do the right thing?_

"I hope so."

The presence faded from his mind. He walked to the stone, and picked it up between his fingers. It was so small, how could it have done all of this?

He was trapped in another dimension, controlled by a crazy lady who thought he was a stand in for the Energizer Bunny, who was planning on hiring his psychopathic Yami as a hitman to kill him, so she could have ultimate power.

Bakura had always figured he wasn't destined for a long life, but he had never imagined going out like this.

More interesting than being hit by a truck, he supposed. Bakura did have one skill, he was a champ at accepting inevitabilities.

* * *


	10. Watching Me

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Sorry for the long, long wait. Writer's block, fanfiction.net being down, and all that. Story's almost over now, I think I've got three chapters left, maybe four. And then a new story, and that one's gonna be even weirder than this one, I think. Where do I get these ideas?

* * *

Yami had hated a lot in his long existence. He hated fate, he hated the gods, he hated Yugi and his Yami, he hated Bakura, he hated the Ring, he hated himself. He could go on and on and on. It had almost become habit.

Now he had a new target for his hatred. And he would enjoy hating them. Revenge could be so sweet.

__

Inflicting pain upon others does nothing to reduce your own.

Yami was sitting on a blank white plane, like a sheet of paper. There was no one here that could be talking to him, he wasn't even going to bother to look.

"Iol, if that's you, I'm going to hunt you down, break your neck, pluck you bare, and have myself a nice bird ste—"

__

Such hatred, directed towards someone who does not even exist.

Yami stood up, frowning. "Leave me alone."

You are not even curious?

"About what?"

__

I could answer any question you have about this world, and much about your own world as well. But you do not even wish to know. Interesting.

"I wish to be left alone," Yami said. Left alone until he could find a way out of this mess. He had some ideas, most of them involving the Ring. Something Iol had said. It was trying to get back …

You cannot escape. You do not understand.

"Understand what?"

It seemed to hesitate. _I am the Paradox_, it finally said.

"There's a shocker for you."

__

I warp reality, but in this world, there is no reality to warp. It is a void, so to speak, between dimensions.

Yami frowned. "So?"

__

The reality here is a manifestation.

Yami waited for it to expand on that. A few minutes passed by in silence. The Paradox didn't seem to be very talkative, not to him. "A manifestation of what?"

__

Your mind.

"Oh." He should have seen that coming. Really, truly, should have seen that coming. The desert, the pyramid …

__

Our time is short.

"Why?"

__

Keleos and Iol are competing in a battle for your mind. I do not think the pain will be conductive to an in-depth discussion on the nature of reality.

"You mean the bird that isn't real?"

__

Reality and existence are two different things. He is real, but he is not a part of reality as you know it. He is merely a presence. As is the pyramid, and is Keleos, as am I. Technically, you do not exist either. You are merely a presence in another's mind.

"Nothing is real here?" How could he possibly use that information to his benefit?

__

No. Not until very recently.

"What are you … oh."

__

The boy is real in every sense, as is the necklace that belongs to him. It makes him an interesting variable. But reality does not mix well with what is not reality. Keleos has taken advantage of that, she has taken the necklace and is using its link with him to absorb the energy that sustains him.

Yami had figured that part out well enough, it still didn't help him. There wasn't much he could do about that, except by maybe offing Bakura.

__

That would not work. 

A buzzing started in his ears. He shook his head to clear it, but the sound remained. He could only hope that something had happened to his ears. He doubted it, but he could still hope.

"How did we get here?"

__

I do not know.

"And here I thought you knew everything."

__

I know all I need to. You must return to your own world.

A pounding in the vicinity of his temples began. The Paradox had said something about pain. "How?"

__

I hold the reality together. I hold everything in. That is all you need to know.

The headache started to spread, creeping into every corner of his mind. He wondered why killing Bakura wouldn't work. It did make sense.

__

There are quite a few explanations. One being you can't kill him, for much the same reasons you have not bothered to kill yourself.

"Watch me."

__

Unnecessary.

Yami ground his teeth. "Shut up."

__

I am not talking. It has been an interesting experience speaking with you. Perhaps we shall speak again. But now, I must leave you.

"Leave me where?"

He blinked, and he found himself in a dark rock room. He didn't have much time to take it in, though, when a pain started in several areas of his head at once. It felt like his brain was on fire. He forgot all worries about where he was.

Several seconds later, he found himself on the ground. His hands were in fists, he was panting, and pretty colors were flashing in front of his face.

Then the real pain started.

* * *

Bakura had gotten used to things happening to him a long time ago. He had forgotten how to actually make things happen himself.

He stood in the middle of the room for several minutes, holding the Paradox in his palm. It took him a while to realize that he was in a room with no doors. It took him a little while longer to realize that maybe he should do something about that.

The Paradox was small, yes, but he could feel the power it had. Power that he couldn't even begin to tap into, not that he would want to. He had seen its rather peculiar effects on this world, and he could only imagine what it might do to him. But that didn't mean he couldn't use it somehow, right?

He could try it, anyway. It couldn't hurt, and despite of what his Yami had said, he wasn't exactly sure about the death by starvation thing.

Bakura walked over to the wall with conviction. He pinched the Paradox between two fingers, and pressed it against the wall.

Nothing happened. Figured. He sighed, and leaned his head against the wall. So much for making things happen. All he wanted was one little miracle that actually worked in his favor, and what did he get? He got –

The wall turned into something like chocolate syrup. It dripped on his head, down his arms, and onto the floor. He fell forward into the mess, but he didn't hit the ground. He kept falling and falling …

Bakura met the ground for the fifth, or maybe it was the sixth time, in the past twenty four hours. He didn't know for sure, he hadn't been keeping track of all of the times he had fallen, tripped or passed out. He stood up quickly, and felt his face and his hair. Nothing. He was completely clean.

The Paradox was clutched in his fist.

Well that was fun. He was in a room exactly like the first. Would he have to do this again? It was so dark, he wished there was a little bit of light.

The room lit up so bright he closed his eyes and covered his face with his empty hand, and his eyes still felt like there were being scorched. No, dark, dark!

The light immediately faded. He opened his eyes, and experienced something like blindness. He could see nothing in the blackness, not even shadows. He waved his hand in front of his face. Nothing.

This wasn't going to work at all.

__

Are you there?

Bakura froze. He looked around, but of course saw nothing. The Paradox, again?

__

No, no. It's just me. Iol, the talking bird, remember?

Oh, him. "I remember."

__

Good. You got the Paradox on you, then?

"Yeah, I … why?"

Well, you are going right with Keleos' plans, but I guess it's a start. She almost killed you, you know.

Bakura frowned. "When?"

__

Oh, lots of times. She doesn't really know your boundaries, you're rather lucky to be alive. The most recent was about, say, fifteen minutes ago. She's probably going to do it again pretty quick, just thought I'd warn you.

"Oh, thank you. You really have helped me out. How can I ever repay such an act?"

__

Shove it. Want help? Drop the rock.

"What?"

__

Do you always ask questions? Just do it, damnit!

Bakura sighed. If he dropped it, he would never be able to find it again. Still, he couldn't exactly do much else. He opened his hand, and let the Paradox drop to the ground. He heard a clink.

The room lit up again, this time with a softer light, just bright enough to look around. It was plain, with blank rock walls. It was completely empty, except for a shape in the shadows of one of the corner. Bakura took a step closer, squinting at it.

"Yami?" he said. A little nervous, he took a few more steps.

__

Don't forget the rock!

"But if I –"

__

Be careful what you wish for, heard of that? Otherwise, you should be fine.

Bakura nodded, and he walked back to where the Paradox was. He grabbed it, and then he walked over to where his Yami was, and knelt down next to him.

He didn't look very good. He was completely passed out, and a little blood dripped from a cut on his lip. He had bruises all over his face, cuts all over his clothing, which also had a good deal of blood on it, but he had all of that before. What was new was the blood around the ears, and the pained expression on his face.

__

Careful around him. I kind of put him through hell.

"You did this to him?"

__

Well, anyway, he's bound to be in a bad mood.

Bakura reached an arm out, to shake him awake or something. "He's always in a bad mood."

"Yeah, and you're mister cheery." His Yami's eyes opened, and Bakura jerked his hand back quick enough to knock himself off balance. He fell flat on his back.

Yami sat up, rubbing his head. "You're painfully clumsy, you know that?"

"Shut up," Bakura snapped. Oops.

Yami raised an eyebrow, but did nothing. He probably wasn't in much of a position to do so. Bakura got to his feet quickly, if his Yami got up first he might have an urge to kick him or something.

His Yami stood up too, eyeing him warily.

__

I said be careful. Fighting each other would not be the best idea right now. Trust me on this.

For someone who looked so sick just a minute ago, his Yami seemed to have recovered awful quick. Bakura took a step back, but then his Yami's expression froze, fixed on an imaginary object just behind Bakura. He stayed that way for about a minute, just long enough for Bakura to stop feeling grateful.

"Yami?" he asked.

Yami didn't look at him. "What do you have in your hand?" he said, in a flat voice.

Bakura's eyes dropped down to the fist that held the Paradox. "In my hand?"

Yami's eyes shifted back to him, with an expression that looked none too pleasant. "Yes, your hand. Give it to me."

__

Something else is going on here. Maybe that wouldn't be such a great idea, giving it to him.

Bakura took another step back. "I-I … can't."

Yami looked bored. He covered the distance between them in a few quick steps, and grabbed Bakura's wrist, and twisted it painfully. Bakura cried out, and the dropped the Paradox, which landed neatly in Yami's hand.

__

Then again … never mind.

Yami brought the stone up to his face, and started at it for a while. His face had that odd, frozen look to it again. He spent a few seconds like this, then he jolted. He dropped the Paradox like it had burned him.

"Shit," he said. "She's coming."

"Who's she?"

Yami almost looked panicked. "Who? Who else could 'she' be? Pick it up! Pick it up!"

"Why don't you –"

"Do it!"

Bakura hastily bent down and grabbed the Paradox, and he could have sworn he felt a wind. 

"She's coming, damnit. What do we do?" Yami kept muttering to himself. How the hell could he tell?

__

Uh, not exactly. You guys are kinda … going. Hold on, I'm going to try something.

Bakura felt the sensation of moving, and moving fast. The wind rushed past him, his hair was blown around ---

That sensation was replaced in a second with another. The new one was like being in a front end collision with a Mach truck.

Bakura staggered, and he fell backwards. Again. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his Yami do the same.

__

Well, that worked nicely.

"Yeah, real nicely," Yami snapped. "Got any more tricks we should know about."

__

I bought you a little time, you should be glad, because from here on out, you're on your own. You've got about two hours left to figure things out, before the world comes to an end, and both of you with it. Thank you, and have a nice day.

"What are you talking about?" Bakura shouted, but it didn't matter. Iol was gone.

* * *


	11. Call Me There

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

The Paradox had existed for as long as it could remember, and since its memory went back to the beginning of the Universe it inhabited, as far as it was concerned, it had lived forever.

There had been three, but then there had been four.  An angry spirit named Keleos entered their world, and she had been seeking power.  In her attempts to bend the three to her will, she had actually given the place dimension, she had given the place _stuff, like space and time and life.  Perhaps they should have been grateful.  _

The spirits had been grateful, a little, as they methodically destroyed Keleos.  They warped her body and her soul, until there was nothing left.  They had not warped her mind, the Watcher had noted.  It was warped enough already.

Keleos had adapted well enough to being a disembodied spirit, part of the group mind that they all became.  Her goals had not changed, all of them knew that they wouldn't, but until recently, she hadn't the means to accomplish them.

The Judge had warned that she would find a way.  The Watcher had countered, what could they do to stop her?  Nothing, the Paradox had agreed.  So they waited.

Her ties to her home world ran deep, and she watched it from afar.  Now she had found something to her liking, an object that could do terrible things.  She had wanted it, and she drained their world of its power to bring it here.

I didn't know she could do that, the Watcher had noted.

You are a fool, the Judge had answered.  We are all fools.

What Keleos had not counted on were two people being bound to the object, by forces she did not understand.  She probed their minds, though, and quickly found a way to turn it to her advantage.  She emptied one of his mind, the other of their souls.  She knew what they would do, she said.

The Judge agreed with her.  We are doomed, it said.  But the Watcher did not.  There was more to them than they seemed, he said.  Iol claimed that they could, in fact, be the ruin of Keleos.  What she thought would save her, would then destroy her.

Irony was one of many words the Paradox had lifted from the newcomer's minds.  He thought it suited the situation.

At first, their minds seemed to fit what the Judge had said.  The first, the younger of the two, was weak, in body and mind.  He was an ideal target for Keleos, because of his weakness and because of the fact that he was still living.  He was an intelligent person, who thought out his actions before he did them, though the strains Keleos was putting on him made these characteristics almost useless.

The second was quite different.  He lacked the strict moral code so evident in the first, and had a sharp mind, was practiced in acts of cunning and treachery.  

* * *

_Idiot bird.___

The voice wasn't like anything Yami had heard before, but he recognized it all the same.  Keleos.  She slithered into his mind, worming right into his consciousness.  He didn't have a choice but to listen.

_He bought you nothing.  This will simply take more time._

Yami didn't answer her.  He glanced over at Bakura, who looked completely lost in thought.  His teeth were clenched, his brows were furrowed.

"What do we do now?" Bakura demanded.

"How should I –" Yami stopped.  Bakura wasn't talking to him, not with that look on his face.  Damn.

_What do you want? he snapped at Keleos._

I simply need to gather my power again.

Yami looked again at Bakura.  A drop of sweat dripped down the side of his face.  _You're going to kill him, aren't you?_

_Does it matter?  You don't care._

_Are you planning on returning me?_

_She paused.  If you follow my instructions, I suppose it wouldn't be out of the question …_

_Then I do care.  If his friends find out – and they will find out – that I left him in another dimension to die to save my own skin, I won't –_

_Mortals such as them no longer matter._

_What if one of his friends isn't mortal?_

_That might be more of a problem, then … for you._

Yes.  Indeed it would.  It might be better than staying here for the rest of eternity.  Still, returning with Bakura would be better.

His thoughts were interrupted again.  _Well, if he does decide to kill me, there isn't that much I can do about it, is there?_

_What are you … talking about … Then he realized._

_I said nothing, Keleos answered, annoyed._

_I know._

Bakura cringed, and then he dropped to a knee, rubbing his temples.  "What's she … doing?" he asked.  Why would Bakura be asking _him?_

_What are you doing?_

_I don't have the patience to be, hmmm, gentle with him._

Bakura shut his eyes, and then he jerked backwards.  He fell on the floor, and drew his knees to his chest, shuddering in pain.

"Yami … stop … please …" he whimpered.

_Stop it! Yami said._

_Why?_

"Because I said so!"

Yami felt her waver, in puzzlement and confusion.  She drew back a little.

_Perhaps you better not get the idea that you have say in what happens.  You are a victim of Fate, child.  Deal with it._

_Shut up._

_You desire power, I can feel it.  You can have all that you wish.  Perhaps you should see this turn of events as a blessing._

Bakura relaxed.

_I have everything I need.  You should have used the time Iol gave you.  Too bad._

The world started to fade around them.

Yami almost smiled.  Keleos was wrong.  It wasn't game over, not quite yet.

* * *

_Wake up!_

_I'm gonna die I'm gonna die.  Game over.  End of the world as we know it …_

_You haven't the time._

Who was talking to him?  Who was it, inside his brain?  Oh yes, his conversation partner, the Paradox.  Who didn't talk to rocks in their spare time?

_If you wish to avoid trauma, I would advise against opening your eyes.  If you wish to live, I would have to counsel the opposite._

Bakura groggily tried to sort through his thoughts.  _Huh?_

_Get up._

Why did he have to do that?  He had to be dead now, you couldn't feel so tired and not be dead.  Other dead people didn't have to get up.  Why should he?

_I don't want to have to leave you with her, but I may not have a choice.  You are not the only one being sucked dry._

He could feel nothing, he was numb to the world.  Even the pain was gone.  He didn't want to do this, he wanted to go home.  Was that so much to ask?

_As of now, yes, it is._

Bakura managed to pull himself to the place most people call awake.  He was aware that he was lying on the ground, and he could remember that he was way over his head and that pretty soon now someone was going to decide to kill him.

He didn't open his eyes, though.

_We discussed your dilemma.  In great detail.  Do you remember?_

_I remember …_

_Go along with whatever happens.  Understand?  Now get up!_

Bakura took a deep breath, and pried one eye open.

His vision was blurry, still black and white with a few splotches of gray floating in front of his face, and he was staring at the ceiling.  The light hurt, but he didn't close it, he would probably drift off for good.  After a few seconds to adjust, he opened the other eye.  And then he moved his head.

He saw Keleos first.  She was still terrifying, though she seemed more solid than when he had seen her last.  And, not surprisingly, standing next to her was his Yami, who was glaring at Bakura.  One his fists was clenched.

_They have been discussing things._

_Like … like what?_

_What to do with you, for one._

_Oh.  Do they know I'm … talking to you?_

_Probably.___

"Well, everyone is here now, aren't they?" Keleos said, smiling.

No one answered.

"I can feel your presence, Iol," she continued.  "You can come out if you want, but it doesn't matter.  It's time for the fun to begin."  She laughed.

Yami shook his head and muttered something.  He clenched his fists tighter.

Bakura gulped.

* * *


	12. Flux

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Second to last chapter. I really, really liked writing this story, and am truly sad that it has to come to an end. While this might lead me to procrastinate ending it, by either simply not writing or by dragging out the story chapter after chapter, I won't. I'm back from vacation now, the last chapter should be done in the next few days.

* * *

Bakura could feel his mind start the spiral downward, his senses fading one by one. His colorless vision was becoming even more distorted, blurring with black blotches floating in front of his eyes. Sounds were becoming distant, and there was a constant ringing in his ears. The wracking pain he knew he should be feeling was gone, replaced with a sensation rather than floating.

It was kind of nice.

The part of his mind with the wheels still turning knew that he was dying. He would have liked to be able to say that he didn't care, but it wasn't true. He had never been more terrified in his life, he just didn't have the energy to put anything into his fear.

__

Pathetic…

The word slid easily into his mind, and the part that might have cared that the thought wasn't his was definitely on hiatus. It was true. He was crying and whimpering and whining like a lost child.

__

What's wrong with him? the voice asked.

__

I think the term is "going into shock", a second voice answered. _The wall is breaking down._

What wall?

The wall that keeps the two of you separate beings. Part of you is leaking over to him, and part of him is leaking over to you.

What followed was a string of words Bakura couldn't understand, though he did understand the sharp, almost painful, meaning behind each and every one. He also understood that quite a few of them were directed at him. He cringed.

His Yami's cursing abruptly stopped_. He can hear us, can't he?_

The voice Bakura knew as the Paradox seemed to sigh. _Yes._

Bakura could hear his other's mind turning, and he could also tell that Yami was censoring his thought, now that he knew they were no longer his.

__

Where has she taken us? Yami asked, finally.

__

I do not know. She created this place fairly recently, I believe. She will summon the others soon. Communication will be impossible. Too many minds, too much power.

__

Then what am I supposed to do? Yami mentally shouted, adding a fresh burst of anger. Bakura shuddered, and wrapped his arms around himself. The conversation halted again.

__

She is still draining him, the Paradox noted.

__

Why?

Because your Item rejects this world. It is trying to return to yours. She is using energy to stop it.

__

Why doesn't she just let it drag her back?

I hold all spirits to this place. To simply attempt escape would be … bad.

Why can't she just destroy you, then?

__

She could, I suppose. She'd rather use me as a weapon on your world. To do that, she must gather enough energy to blast through my power.

__

How is she going to do that?

The Paradox hesitated. 

__

Well? Yami said. _What is it?_

__

I—

A voice started, this one in the real world. Bakura heard it as if through water. "I call on the Watcher and the Judge, join me in this place. The time is now."

The Paradox vanished. And the pain started again.

* * *

Keleos had interesting taste in locales.

The sand was gone, thank God, replaced with packed dirt, the endless landscape was now decorated with thick ferns and shrubs. They were laid out neatly, almost like a garden, with a very prominent fountain in the center. Several marble benches surrounded it. Keleos must have liked it, she was beaming, both literally and figuratively. Yami noticed that she looked a bit more solid now.

It looked Greek, almost. And definitely reminiscent of Earth.

Yami looked down at his clenched fist, which held the Paradox. No more advice from there.

Company had arrived.

A very ruffled looking bird was sitting on one of the benches, where no one had been before. Next to him stood … a pink flamingo?

"I liked the other form better," the flamingo said, sounding sullen. Its voice was the same as that of the pyramid.

"I'm sorry, Judge," Keleos said airily. "Best I could do, space limitations and all. I pulled it out of the boy's mind. You like it?"

"It's interesting," the Judge said.

"What are you doing?" asked Iol.

"Wishing you all a fond farewell, I'm afraid," Keleos said. "You see, I'm leaving you, courtesies of the efforts of the young Ryou Bakura. Kind of him, really."

Bakura was standing next to Yami. His eyes were closed and he was hugging himself rather tightly, rocking back and forth.

Yami doubted that he was aware of it. He could feel Bakura's mind, spinning like a top on its last few spins, before it ran out of momentum, and fell.

Keleos giggled like a small child. Yami hadn't known he could hate her anymore than he already did. Thoughts of revenge were now in the distant past, he just wanted out.

"I will be taking the other, not-so-young man back as well. To repay all that he has done for me. There will be no objections, I am sure."

Iol cocked his head. "Really."

"It is as I feared," the Judge said.

"Oh, shut up," said Iol. "You feared this, you feared that. Heaven forbid you actually get off your fluffy pink ass and actually do something."

The Judge raised his long neck in indignation. "Yes, your doing has certainly helped the situation. I applaud you."

"Shut up," said Iol.

"However," said Keleos, as if she had not heard them. "There is one more favor I must ask."

So that was it. He was going home, for a price yet to be determined, and likely to be steep. To the five friends who – without Bakura to worry about – would cheerily destroy him without a trace of guilt.

"Bring him here," Keleos ordered.

Yami managed a good sneer at her. "Bring who?"

Keleos smiled thinly. "Bring the boy here, now."

"Why?"

"Oh," said Iol. "She didn't mention that now, did she?"

The judge shook his head. "She has not changed."

"What stake do the two of you have in this?" asked Keleos. "Since when did you care? Earth is no concern of yours."

  
"Not unless we make it," Iol said. "We learned a bit about something called 'decency' fairly recently."

"From the boy?"

"No," said the Judge, solemnly. "From you."

Keleos shone brightly for a second, almost enough to make Yami look away. Then she faded back to her normal self. "Bring the boy here," she said, in a painfully friendly voice.

Yami grabbed Bakura by the arm and started to lead him towards Keleos. Bakura's legs moved like a robot, one leg stepping mechanically after the other. He tripped, and Yami grabbed him before he fell.

__

Y … Yami?

__

What?

__

Sorry I couldn't … help … any …

Yami looked over to Keleos, and he thought he had a good idea of what was coming next. He felt disgust growing. _Stop apologizing, idiot._

__

… sorry …

"Don't be so long about it," Keleos shouted, showing her impatience. "Bring him here!"

Yami gritted his teeth, and complied.

"I killed a lot of people, before," Keleos said as he walked. "Or you could say that I did. I never killed one on my own, couldn't stomach such things. In fact, I never even had anyone die in front of me."

"First time for everything," Iol muttered.

"We need energy. A lot of it. You young friend is dry, I'm afraid. And now that I have the Paradox, I'm going to need a lot more. Only one way to do it."

Yami narrowed his eyes.

Keleos held out her hand. In it appeared a knife, long, thin and sharp. She grasped it by the blade, and held it out to him.

"You can kill him anyway you like," Keleos said.

Yami studied the blade. He evaluated, weighing one choice against the other. Decisions, decisions … getting out of this crazy world and going home were looking very appealing.

"Are you going to do it or not?" Keleos asked.

Yami took the knife. "I'll do it."

* * *


	13. Call Me Home

Title: Change of Heart

Author: Britani Gael

Geez, after all I say about procrastination, it takes me almost a week to finish this chapter.

I wasn't procrastinating, honest.  I was just trying to make sure this lived up to all the reviews I've been getting.  I got more reviews on that last chapter than I've gotten for any story I've written in my entire fanfiction.net career.  Hope I don't disappoint anyone.  I think I liked how it turned out, though.  Enjoy.

* * *

The Paradox sighed.  The choice had been made.  Was it right?  They would find out soon enough.

Existing for thousands of years with both a mind and a conscience had been quite wearisome.  Would the Judge and the Watcher agree?  Who knew, the Paradox didn't.

The only thing that mattered right now was the fate of a completely helpless young boy, dragged into this through no will of his own.  The Paradox had found that it cared.

They had learned about decency from the mind of Keleos.  They had learned about compassion from the mind of the dark spirit that had made the choice.

Ironic, no?

* * *

Yami held the knife in one hand.  The metal was cool to the touch, probably made of some material that Keleos had invented on the spot.  It was obviously sharp, the thin edge glinted at him.  Had she drained a little more of Bakura to create it?

His other hand held the Paradox.  His fingers were involuntarily clenched around it, as if his hand was afraid to let it go.

No one could blame him for what he was about to do.  It wasn't like he was given a choice.

He took a step forward, between Bakura and Keleos.

"Stop stalling," Keleos snapped.

"I'm curious," Bakura said.  He raised the Paradox in front of his face, pinched between his fingers.  "What does this thing do?"

"In your world?  In our world?  Whatever I wish."

"Hmm."  He remembered what the Paradox had said about no communication, and he could tell it was right.  The presence of all four of them was almost mind numbing.  

He narrowed his eyes at the jewel, studying it intently.  He thought he heard Bakura mutter something, but he tuned him out.

_What is it? he heard a distant voice say._

The connection was suffocating to his mind, he could barely think.

_Make it quick, the Paradox said, sounding even more distant._

He pinched it tighter, trying to organize his thoughts.  _Uh, thanks, he said._

_…no problem…___

The Paradox collapsed.

To someone else, it might have looked like Yami was crushing it between his fingers.  In reality, the Paradox was doing it all on its own, collapsing on itself, crushing without any help from him.  The powder slid from his fingers, drifting to the ground.

The effect on the landscape was immediate.

The marble fountain started to weather and age, while the plants looked to be growing in reverse, turning yellow and sinking into the dirt.  Iol squawked as the bench he sat on cracked and collapsed under its own weight.  The sky turned black.

Keleos' eyes went wide.  "What did you do?" she shrieked.

Yami tried to come up with a clever answer, failed.  Instead, he laughed.

The sky flashed white, then back to black, then white again.  A wind picked up, kicking up the dirt around them.

Keleos lunged at him.

Yami jumped back, knocking Bakura and himself to the ground.  Keleos loomed above them, her face had turned a nasty, glimmering shade of gray.

"Idiot!" she snarled.  "You did nothing.  Nothing!"

Several jagged yellow lines streaked across the sky like lightning, each accompanied by a blast of thunder.

"Coulda fooled me," Yami said.

"I can return, now."  Her voice dropped to a whisper.  "The Paradox no longer binds me here."

"You don't seem too happy about it."

"I'll find something else," she said, and she took a step forward.  "I'll find a way to get the power I need.  You can spend eternity here.  But first …" The Millennium Ring started to glow.

Bakura screamed.  It was a rather weak scream, but Yami could hear the pain in it.  He looked over, and saw Bakura's face.  Instead of being twisted, it was strangely slack, devoid of emotion.

Yami rolled over towards Keleos, and jammed the knife into her foot.

Spirit though she was, it still must've hurt.  She yelped and staggered back, and the Millennium Ring stopped glowing.  Now her face was nearly black.  She composed herself, and laughed, a sound that was worse than Iol laughing.  She started to power the Ring up again.

A bird crashed into her.  Iol circled her head, screaming at the top of his lungs.  He latched on to her face, and started pecking her like mad.  The flamingo ran up to her, and grabbed the Ring in its mouth.

Okay, maybe the gods didn't hate him.  He got to his feet as quick as he could, then dragged Bakura up as well.  The boy wasn't even close to consciousness now, Yami wasn't even sure he was alive.

Iol still in her face, Keleos' hand reached out blindly.  She found the Judge's skinny neck, and grabbed it in both hands.  Even with all the noise going on around them, Yami could hear the sharp crack.  The Judge crumpled to the ground.

Yami threw an arm around Bakura's shoulders, and struggled to take the few steps towards Keleos.  She was beating frantically at Iol, who didn't look like he was going anywhere.  The Judge got up again, with half his neck and his head hanging limply.

Strange sight, but Yami didn't stop to look.  The ground was shaking now, it was hard to stand, and Bakura sure wasn't helping things.  He took the final step.  He reached out towards Keleos.

She must have been able to see him somehow, or felt his presence, maybe.  She started to slap him, hit him, doing whatever she could with Iol on her.  Using one hand to shield himself from the beating, he reached out with the other and snagged the Millennium Ring.

"No!" She shouted.  She reached towards her face, and managed to grab Iol by a wing.  She tore him off viciously, and reached to grab the Ring.

The Judge came up behind her, and threw himself into the back of her legs.  She fell, and the cord that held the Millennium Ring on her neck ripped.

The wind picked up, and the ground shook harder.  Yami lost his balance, and started to fall backwards.  But he didn't hit the ground.

It felt like he had gone through the ground, but there wasn't anything on the other side.  Just falling.

* * *

Bakura groaned and rolled over.  He fell right off his bed.

"Ouch," he said, managed to slur even that word beyond recognition.  He tried to get up, and was surprised to find that he could not.  God, everything hurt.  With a lot of effort, pulled himself back up onto his bed, and flopped out on it.

_About time you woke up._

Bakura's eyes widened.  Who had said that?  It had sounded almost like –

_Idiot.___

"Am not," he said.

_Oh, obviously._

The phone started ringing.  Bakura lifted his head to stare at the phone across the room, but didn't even try to get it.  He had no desire to end up on the floor again.  It rang four times, and it stopped.  Then it started ringing again.

Bakura sighed, wondering how long he would have to listen to it.

To his surprise, the Yami materialized beside him.  Scowling, he marched across the room and grabbed the phone off the hook.  "What?"  He paused, listening.  "No … no … he's not … sleeping … no."  He slammed the phone down.

"We've been gone for two days," his Yami said.  "They think I've killed you.  They'll be over soon."

"Gone where?" he asked groggily.

"No idea."  His Yami vanished, back into the Ring.

Bakura dropped his head, even holding it up was being tiring.  He remembered … Iol, desert, scary lady, had his Ring … He moved his hand to his face, and wasn't surprised to find blood.

"You … you hit me," he said.

_So?___

"It hurts …" he said, his voice trailing off.  He closed his eyes, and had a feeling that he could be asleep for a while, whether his friends showed up or not.

_I was under a bit of stress, alright?_

Bakura opened his eyes.  Was that … an apology?  From his Yami?

_No._

"Oh," he said.  He closed his eyes again, drifting off to a place with talking birds, pink flamingos, and a Yami that wanted to help him rather than hurt him.  He smiled in his sleep.  It was rather nice.

* * *

And that's it!  Super special thanks to everyone who reviewed, I never even imagined getting that many.  I never even imagined getting close to that many.  So now I have no story to write. *sighs*  I've got a few ideas, I'll write a few of them, see if any actually turn into a story.  If they do, I might have a new story in a week.  Well, that's all I got to say.  Britani Gael, signing out.


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